The History Center is excited to partner with Lake Forest Preservation Foundation as we welcome Stuart Cohen and Julie Hacker as they discuss theories and strategies for making additions to historic buildings. They will discuss the choices of architectural language and form appropriate to additions and what they think these decisions should be based upon. They believe that the meaning of an addition is dependent on both the physical relationship of the addition to the existing building and the style of architecture, and that additions communicate a value judgement regarding the original building. Their talk will be illustrated by both historic examples of building additions and will also draw numerous illustrations by both historic examples of building additions and will also draw numerous illustrations from their over forty years of designing award-winning additions to historic older houses along Chicago’s North Shore, including work in Lake Forest.

Stuart Cohen is a practicing architect and a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects. He is professor of architecture emeritus at the University of Illinois, Chicago, and is the author of four books on Chicago’s historic residential architecture as well as numerous articles of architectural theory and criticism.

Julie Hacker is a practicing architect and a Fellow of the American Institute of Architecture. Her residential work has been published nationally and internationally and her firm received the 2007 Residential Architect Leadership Award from Residential Architect Magazine. She and her partner received the National 2019 Society of Architectural Historians Award for Excellence in Design, Academics and Scholarship, and the 2017 Chicago Merchandise Mart’s Hall of Fame Award in Design. 

Their new book, “First Additions: Strategies for Adding On,” will be available for purchase and signing.